Swaby signs for AS Roma Women

Na­tional se­nior women’s team de­fender Allyson Swaby has an­nounced via so­cial me­dia yes­ter­day that she has signed a con­tract with Ital­ian out­fit AS Roma.

Swaby, who helped the Reg­gae Girlz to qual­ify for their first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup last month, will join her com­pa­triot Trudi Carter, who has al­ready made her de­but for the Ital­ian side.

“I’m very ex­cited to an­nounce that I will be join­ing AS Roma for the re­main­der of the 2018-19 sea­son,” Swaby’s In­sta­gram post read. “I am thrilled to be play­ing at such an his­toric club as they work to ex­pand women’s foot­ball. This is an op­por­tu­nity I am so grate­ful for and I can­not wait to get started.”

Many pun­dits be­lieve the flood­gates for women’s foot­ball in Ja­maica is now open as their his­toric qual­i­fi­ca­tion for the World Cup came at a time when the women’s game is be­ing pro­fes­sion­alised in Europe.

AS Roma, Liver­pool, and Manch­ester United, among oth­ers have formed pro­fes­sional teams this sea­son, and the Reg­gae Girlz’s qual­i­fi­ca­tion to women’s foot­ball flag­ship tour­na­ment has thrust them un­der the spot­light.